Turner, Mathurin spur Pacers’ rally to beat Bulls 116-110

© Provided by The Associated Press Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield (24) reacts as the Pacers took the lead against the Chicago Bulls during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin each scored 26 points and Mathurin’s short, go-ahead basket with 29.1 seconds left helped the Indiana Pacers close out a rally from 21 points down to beat the Chicago Bulls 116-110 on Tuesday night.

Indiana snapped a season-worst seven-game losing streak to stay ahead of 10th-place Chicago in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers played again without injured point guard Tyrese Haliburton and this time without his replacement, Andrew Nembhard, who was sick.

© Provided by The Associated Press Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) celebrates his three-point basket as Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso (6) reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. The Pacers defeated the Bulls 116-110. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

T.J. McConnell had 20 points and 10 assists for the Pacers, who have won 11 games this season in which they’ve trailed by double digits.

DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points to lead the Bulls and Nikola Vucevic added 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Chicago’s three-game winning streak came to an end and Vucevic’s streak of 11 consecutive double-doubles also ended.

© Provided by The Associated Press Indiana Pacers forward Jalen Smith (25) looks to shoot in front of Chicago Bulls forward Derrick Jones Jr. (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

It was a physical and sometimes ugly game, one Chicago dominated early as it built a 20-5 lead in the first six minutes and extended the margin to 62-41 late in the first half.

But the Bulls, playing on the second night of a back-to-back, wore down in the second half as the Pacers became the aggressors.

Indiana cut the deficit to 87-80 after three quarters and continued charging through the fourth, finally taking their first lead of the game, 102-100, on McConnell’s reverse layup with 4:27 to go.

The teams traded leads or were tied six times afterward — until Mathurin’s 3-footer broke a 110-110 tie. Indiana forced turnovers on each of the Bulls’ next two possessions and made four straight free throws to close it out.

TIP-INS

Bulls: Zach LaVine had 14 points and Derrick Jones Jr. had 10. … DeRozan finished with five rebounds and three assists. … Chicago had 16 turnovers, compared with six for Indiana. … The Bulls had won the previous four games in this series.

© Provided by The Associated Press Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) cuts between Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) and forward Derrick Jones Jr. (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Pacers: Buddy Hield had 19 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and four 3-pointers. … Turner had eight rebounds while McConnell had three steals. … Indiana was 10 of 37 on 3s. … Haliburton could return as early as Friday from the sprained left knee and sprained left elbow that contributed to the Pacers’ skid.

© Provided by The Associated Press Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) picks up a loose ball in front of Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

MR. 3,000

Following a four-game trip, the Pacers honored longtime radio play-by-play announcer Mark Boyle for calling his 3,000th game Saturday at Phoenix.

© Provided by The Associated Press Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) cuts under Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

UP NEXT

Bulls: Make their second stop on a three-game trip Thursday at Charlotte.

Pacers: At Orlando on Wednesday night to complete a back-to-back.

© Provided by The Associated Press Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) knocks the ball away from Indiana Pacers forward Terry Taylor (21) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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© Provided by The Associated Press Indiana Pacers guard Chris Duarte (3) shoots over Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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